Agnes Sangil

Project

Presentation

Progress Log

Capstone Essay

Agnes Sangil

Ferrari

English 4

April 15, 2020

Nature’s Value

For the past thousands of years, humans have lived in harmony with nature, but for the past three generations, we have been moving away and distancing ourselves from nature. Surrounded by technology today, people have forgotten that they once lived within nature. Back in February, the whole 8th-grade class went on a surprise field trip to the Tualatin Hills Nature Park. It seemed random, but once I was in the park, I realized how nice it was to be outside. For the first time in a while, everything felt quiet and calm. I remember looking up and seeing the sun rays go through the trees and hearing distant footsteps and birds singing. Students got a much-needed break from schoolwork and being cooped up in a classroom. Going on that nature walk made me release all the stress and forget the things I have been worrying about. Not only did I get to bond with my friends more, but I also got the chance to take a closer look at nature. At one point during the trip, we stopped, spread out, and took out our notebooks. At that time we were supposed to write and draw whatever we saw and write about what we are feeling. I wrote about what we had done so far and drew what was right in front of me. This field trip made me recognize how much we should cherish nature and how it benefits our wellbeing.

For capstone, I want to make an inspirational and scenic video exploring different hiking trails in Oregon to show others how they should value life and nature. For this to happen, I have researched many different filming tips, hiking trails, and how nature can affect our wellbeing.

How Nature Affects Our Wellbeing

Research has shown that nature positively affects humans: physically, emotionally, and mentally. Spending time outside is scientifically proven to relieve stress and provide other health benefits. (“Eleven") Based on research, being in a natural environment can reduce stress. Different environments can also affect how we feel (“How Does Nature Impact"). The sun provides vitamin D, which can bring people’s mood up. It also reduces the chances of getting cancer, heart disease, and strokes. Being outside gives people a break from being inside all day (“Eleven") and can prevent nature deprivation. Nature deprivation is the lack of time in the natural world. (“How Does Nature Impact") 94% of kids spend 6-9 hours a day on a screen. (Taylor”) The main cause of this is spending too much time on electronics like phones, computers, TVs, and gaming consoles. (“How Does Nature Impact") Nature-Deficit Disorder is when human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors, and the belief that this change results in a wide range of behavioral problems. The book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv argues that Nature Deficit Disorder should be in the DSM-5. The DSM-5 is a medical manual full of different mental disorders that doctors use to diagnose people. (“Taylor”)

Being outside improves the body’s melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone that helps the body know when it’s time to be awake and go to sleep. Melatonin also helps ensure a good night’s sleep. The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine studied that being in a natural environment helps people leave all of their stress behind and center their minds to relax. There is a study that doing activities outside will lower your stress hormones (“Eleven"). 95% of people who’ve been interviewed said that their mood has improved just by being outside (“How Does Nature Impact"). Getting fresh air will also improve your blood pressure. Doing physical activities like exercising, and doing outdoor activities like hiking will increase your endorphin’s production. Endorphins make you feel happy(“Eleven") A way to spend time in nature is meditating. First, find a comfortable place to sit down for 15 minutes, then you will begin to feel grounded which means you feel calm, well-balanced, and feel connected with the earth. (“Taylor”) Being in a natural environment will improve your mood and is very good for your health.

Wildlife in Western Oregon

People living in Oregon have great access to nature and can use parks and trails all over the state to get outdoors. There are many parks and trails all over Oregon, and in those trails, there are many different parts of wildlife. Deer and elk are commonly seen in hiking areas, as are raccoons, skunks, squirrels, and rabbits. The pygmy rabbit has a short body and short ears. They can be found in eastern and southern Oregon. The brush rabbit doesn’t like to leave their habitats. The farthest they would be from their homes would only be a few meters. They can be found in the Willamette Valley, the Columbia River, and the Cascade Range. The Belding ground squirrel is a plain squirrel that doesn't have any spots or stripes. They can be found in eastern and southern Oregon and live in plain flat land, meadows, and sometimes in forest openings. The western grey squirrel can be found in western and central Oregon and they line in pine and fir forests. The American Beaver is one of the biggest rodents that live in the United States and weigh about 55 pounds. Their habitats include riparian areas as well as forests. They often find small continuous streams of water to build their dams. Beavers would live in groups and colonies that include different age groups in a family. Some animals people may see on the West Coast are seals and sea lions. The Steller Sea Lions are one of the biggest members of the marine mammal family. They like to hang out and rest on rocks along the shore in very large groups with other seals and sea lions. (“Wildlife”)

One of the places people in Oregon can visit is Saddle Mountain. Saddle Mountain was given as a gift from Nellie Taylor and O.W. in 1928. Over time, there were many trades and purchases for the land. In the 1930s, the Parks and Rec Division turned that land into a place where people can hike, so they started to build trails along the mountains. In 1841, Saddle Mountain was named by Lt. Charles Wilkes. Many Indian tribes called it “Swallalahoost” because there is a story where there was a chief who got killed by his enemies on that mountain which created lightning to strike on the peak. (“Saddle”)

Filmmaking

For my Capstone project, I am going to be filming and documenting my trips to different hikes in Oregon. A part of American culture is filmmaking. Filmmakers can portray their perspective of the world just through a camera. Filmmaking is a type of art that someone can express through visuals, sounds, and music. Videos can be almost anything like scenic, short films, and vlogs which are some of the many types of videos that can be made by filmmakers. In a connected global world, taking a video and posting it, can be seen throughout the world in mere seconds. Films can give access to those who are unable to travel or visit places to see the beauties of the world. So, documenting the beauty of nature will sustain the beauty in history and display my perspective of how important nature is to the body, mind, and soul.

The first thing to do when making a video is to plan out the video and think about what you are trying to achieve and who your audience is. The next thing is to choose the right type of background that will fit the video. You don’t need a super fancy camera to film, you can just use your phone camera. Use natural lighting as much as possible. If you're outside use: the outdoors, right after sunrise, and before sunset. If you are indoors find a place that has a lot of windows that allow natural light. An important tip is to use the rule of thirds, make sure the main focus isn’t cut off in any way. (unless it's supposed to look that way) (“Elmokadem”)

There are many ways to film a video. Film short segments give more flexibility (“Elmokadem”). Handheld shooting is when there is a lot of action or movement going on so it's easier to move the camera around. Tilting the camera is the fastest way to go up and down. Zooming in on a camera makes the subject or object appear closer than they really are to you (“Cassidy”).

Conclusion

There is so much more to nature than what people think. Nature affects our bodies without us even knowing. I had no idea how much nature provides for us.

For my video, I will be going to a few hiking trails in Oregon and will be filming it. Some of the hiking trails my family and I were planning to go to are Hood River, Crater Lake, Silver Falls, and Smith Rock. But due to the COVID-19 situation, those places are closed. Luckily, there are still a few places that are open like Oxbow Regional Park, Wildwood, and Angel’s Rest Trailhead. I will be recording and editing together a bunch of cuts on my adventure. Then, at the beginning and the end I will be talking about what I am about to do, why am I doing this, and what nature means to me. This is meant to show how beautiful nature is.

Works Cited

Cassidy, Kyle. “Camera Movement Techniques.” Videomaker Magazine,

https://www.videomaker.com/article/c10/14221-camera-movement-techniques.

February 18, 2020

“Eleven Scientific Reasons Why Being in Nature is Relaxing.” Mental Floss,

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/60632/11-scientific-reasons-why-being-nature-relaxi

ng. April 6, 2020

Elmokadem, Peri. “8 Beginner Tips for Making Professional-Looking Videos.” Visme,

https://visme.co/blog/video-tips/. January 31, 2020

“How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?.” University of Minnesota,

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-does-nature-impact-our-wellbeing.

April 19, 2020

“Saddle Mountain State Natural Area.” Oregon State Parks,

https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=140

. April 29, 2020

Taylor, Kerry. Personal Interview. April 27, 2020

“Wildlife Viewing Mammals.” Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife,

https://myodfw.com/wildlife-viewing/species/mammals. April 6, 2020